New Beginnings
by DaisyKitten
Summary: Stefan doesn't believe in miracles, and he wouldn't deserve one even if they were real. (A story in which Stefan isn't really evil, because it is just too annoying that they redeemed one villain and invented another. So annoying that I had to look through all the Maleficent fanfics and then write my own.)
1. My first fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Maleficent, and I won't make any money from this. What did you expect from fanfiction?

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Stefan had a childhood friend named Maleficent. She lived in the Moors and she was a faery. He loved her, but he knew that orphaned peasant boys like him didn't get magic happy endings. If he ever wanted to be anybody, he would have to work for it.

King Henry is not a good king, Stefan thinks. He doesn't care about his people, only about acquiring new lands and more power for himself. Stefan could do so much better, but he is only a guard, meant to follow orders and not think.

King Henry is mortally wounded trying to invade the Moors. Now he is offering his daughter and the crown to anybody who kills Maleficent. With that kind of reward she is going to be killed. (Stefan could do so much better…) Maleficent will die… unless she doesn't.

Stefan returns with her wings. It is completely unforgivable, but she is alive. (She would have died.) He marries a woman he doesn't love. (True love doesn't exist anyway.) And, he becomes king. (He will do so much better.)

He doesn't do better. He is driven mad with guilt. (But she would have died.) His wife is kind and patient. (But he doesn't love her.) He might have come out of it when they had a beautiful daughter. (Maybe love does exist.)

Maleficent comes to the christening. She is strong and proud, even without her wings. (She would have died.) She starts to curse his daughter, Aurora. (He deserves it… but Aurora.) He falls to his knees and begs her not to. (For Aurora.) She adds that Aurora can be saved by true love's kiss. (True love doesn't exist, as they both know.) He sends Aurora away with the faeries. (He can't ruin things if he isn't there.)

He is alone again, and mad. (He had taken Maleficent's wings, but she was alive, and she had cursed his daughter, and maybe he shouldn't have done anything, but then Maleficent would be dead and Aurora wouldn't exist, but she wouldn't be cursed either, and he couldn't have let Maleficent die, but it was all his fault.)

Aurora comes back just before her sixteenth birthday. The curse takes effect, and now she will sleep forever. (Perhaps he could kill Maleficent for this. None of this would have happened if he had just let her die.)

Stefan finds Maleficent in his castle, and he is stunned. She is standing there with Aurora and two men. (How can Aurora be awake when true love doesn't exist?) They explain how Maleficent saved Aurora. (Could he have done that?) Aurora releases Maleficent's wings, which rejoin her as if he had never taken them. (So easy.)

Stefan has never believed in miracles, but he thinks this might be a second chance. Maleficent has her wings back, his daughter is awake and true love exists. He will never forgive himself for what he has done, but he will try again to be a good king, and a good person.


	2. I rewatched the movie for details

Disclaimer: I don't own Maleficent, and I won't make any money from this. What did you expect from fanfiction?

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Stefan had a childhood friend named Maleficent. She lived in the Moors and she was a faery. She was kind, and playful, and had beautiful wings. He threw away his ring just for a chance to be her friend. He loved her, but he knew that orphaned peasant boys like him didn't get magic happy endings. One day he would live in the castle, but he would have to work for it.

King Henry is not a good king, Stefan thinks. He doesn't care about his people, only about acquiring new lands and more power for himself. Stefan could do so much better, but he is only a servant, meant to follow orders and not think.

King Henry is mortally wounded trying to invade the Moors. Now he is offering his daughter and the crown to anybody who kills "the winged creature," Maleficent. With that kind of reward she is going to be killed. (Stefan could do so much better…) Maleficent will die, and there is nothing he can do.

Stefan tells Maleficent he has come to warn her. It might be true. She could fly far away from King Henry, and he would not try to stop her. Instead, she talks to him like when they were children. They sit together, and when she takes the drugged drink from him, she falls asleep with her head on his shoulder. He holds her for a moment and wishes he could stay here forever. But humans don't live in faery land.

Stefan picks up his dagger and holds it above her. (He should kill her right now. He will be a good king. Nobody else will have to grow up like he did. Someone else would kill her anyway.) He throws the dagger away, furious with himself. (And he doesn't know if it's for trying to kill his friend, or for not doing it.) He sits there looking at Maleficent. (He should have known he couldn't kill her.)

Stefan leaves with her wings. It is completely unforgivable, but she is alive. (He only stops for a moment when he hears her scream.)

Stefan returns to the king, and pretends to have done this for him. (She would have died.) He marries a woman he doesn't love. (True love doesn't exist anyway.) And, he becomes king. (He will do so much better.) He looks out the window and sees Maleficent's magic in the sky.

He doesn't do better. He is driven mad with guilt. (But she would have died.) His wife is kind and patient. (But he doesn't love her because true love doesn't exist.) He might have come out of it when they had a beautiful daughter. (Maybe love does exist.)

Three faeries come to Aurora's christening. (They bring gifts, and his wife likes them, but he just knows this will end badly.) They bless his daughter with beauty and happiness, and then Maleficent enters. (He knew it.)

Maleficent is strong and proud, even without her wings. (She would have died.) She is speaking but all he hears is a buzzing in his ears. He says, "You're not welcome here." (Don't involve my family.) His Queen is talking to Maleficent, and then she offers to bless their child. "No! We don't want your gift!" (Not my daughter.) The other faeries try to protect Aurora and are shut in a trunk. She blesses his daughter with grace, beauty and love; and he knows it won't end there. His wife says, "That's a lovely gift," and he says, "Don't do this." (Please! Not Aurora.)

Maleficent curses her to a sleep like death, and he loses his composure. "Maleficent, please don't do this. I'm begging you." She looks at him and say, "I like you begging. Do it again." He looks at her and wonders if it will help. (She is not how he remembers.) She nods at the floor. He falls to his knees and begs her again. (For Aurora.) She only adds that Aurora can be saved by true love's kiss. (True love doesn't exist, as they both know.)

Stefan orders all the spinning wheels in the kingdom to be broken, burned and locked in the dungeon. (The curse will be broken, whether it is possible or not.) He sends Aurora away with the faeries. (He can't ruin things if he isn't there.) He orders his soldiers to hunt down Maleficent. (Somehow, he will get that curse off.)

He is alone again, and mad. (He had taken Maleficent's wings, but she was alive, and she had cursed his daughter, and maybe he shouldn't have done anything, but then Maleficent would be dead and Aurora wouldn't exist, but she wouldn't be cursed either, and he couldn't have let Maleficent die, but it was all his fault.)

The captain of the guard says that the thorn wall of Moorland is indestructible, and Stefan slaps him. He should have better control of his temper, but he can't make himself care. (The curse is not allowed to be indestructible, and the thorn wall must be less indestructible than that, so they are going to destroy it.) He orders the iron workers to make weapons and equipment. This is war, and he will use every advantage he has.

Stefan sits in the dark and talks to Maleficent's wings. He should care that his wife is dying, but the wings are whispering back to him. That night, he wakes from a nightmare, and tells the iron workers to get back to work immediately. There was some protest, but it couldn't be more important than preparing for Maleficent.

It is Aurora's sixteenth birthday, and Stefan is arranging a trap for Maleficent. (He knows she will come.) Two guards bring Aurora in. She hugs him and he just stands there looking at her. (She is beautiful, and smiling at him, and not safe here.) He orders her locked in her room, and keeps preparing for Maleficent. (The curse must be broken.)

Sunset passes, and Stefan dares to think that the curse has failed. Then Aurora is found in the dungeon, next to a repaired spinning wheel. (Perhaps he could kill Maleficent for this. None of this would have happened if he had just let her die.) She is taken back to her room, and he watches her sleep.

Two guards bring the faeries to see them, and he accuses them. "Look at her. Look what you've done!" A faery replies, "She's only sleeping," and he starts ranting. When the faery tries to tell him that true love is her only chance, he slaps her and storms off. (True love cannot be the only way because it doesn't exist. And Stefan will find to break the curse because now he has all the time in the world.)

Stefan goes to Maleficent as soon as he is informed that she is there. She is surrounded by guards with iron shields. There is also a chained up dragon. (He barely notices it.) He walks up and whips an iron chain at her. (He has decided. He will kill Maleficent, and Aurora will be safe until he finds a way to break the curse.) He takes off his helmet and taunts her. He shoves her across the room and draws his sword. He is about to kill her when there is a bright light.

Her wings have rejoined her as if he had never taken them. She looks like she could do anything, and he needs to kill her right now. (Before she kills everyone in the room and goes to find Aurora.) He sees Maleficent look up and smile.


	3. And made a canon ending

Disclaimer: I don't own Maleficent, and I won't make any money from this. What did you expect from fanfiction?

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Stefan doesn't need to know what has made her happy. It can only be bad for him. He turns to his guards and orders them to kill her. They try to shoot her down, but she is too quick. She frees the dragon, which breathes fire and sends everyone into a panic. He lassos her with his chain, and she crashes through the window.

She flies them to a turret. She removes the chain from her ankle, and Stefan takes this opportunity to tackle her. She holds him against the wall and says, "It's over." (It will never be over, as long as she can hurt his family to cause him pain.) She turns to fly and he tackles her again, sending them both over the edge.

It is a long way down, and Maleficent watches him all the way. (Now, she has no reason to hurt Aurora. Someone else will have to break the curse for him. Aurora has all the time in the world, but he only has the rest of his life.)


	4. And a good ending

Disclaimer: I don't own Maleficent, and I won't make any money from this. What did you expect from fanfiction?

* * *

Stefan follows her gaze automatically and freezes. Aurora is standing there and smiling at Maleficent. (Is it really her? How is she awake? Why would she smile at the one who cursed her?) He doesn't trust this, but he knows enough not to kill anyone when he is this confused.

Some guards report that Aurora isn't in her room, or anywhere else they looked, so this probably is Aurora. They explain about Aurora growing up in the cottage with a fairy godmother, Maleficent trying to revoke the curse, breaking into the castle with an unconscious prince, true love's kiss, and Aurora freeing the wings.

Stefan has never believed in miracles, but he thinks this might be a second chance. Maleficent has her wings back, his daughter is awake and true love exists. If Aurora can forgive Maleficent, who cursed her, then he should be able to. She did break the curse in the end. Maleficent doesn't seem to want to kill him, maybe because of Aurora. He will never forgive himself for what he has done, but he will try again to be a good king, and a good person.


End file.
